President Trump on Wednesday said he’ll seek “long-term extensions” from Congress to extend his federal takeover of the Washington, D.C., police amid his crackdown on crime in the nation’s capital, declining to rule out the possibility of a national emergency.
“Well, if it’s a national emergency, we can do it without Congress,” Trump said, when asked about whether he’s talked to the House and Senate about extending the takeover. He added that he expects to be before Congress “very quickly” and snag Republican support.
Trump on Monday put the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) under federal control and activated National Guard troops, painting the district as being ravaged by violent crime.
To do so, he invoked an emergency provision of the Home Rule Act, which lets the president take temporary control of the District’s police in emergency conditions. Congress must pass a joint resolution to extend it beyond 30 days.
Speaking to reporters at the Kennedy Center on Wednesday, Trump said he’s aiming to go before Congress with a crime bill that will “pertain initially to D.C.” but serve as a “very positive example” for elsewhere.
“And we’re going to be asking for an extension on that, long-term extensions, because you can’t have 30 days. Thirty days is, that’s, by the time you do it — we’re going to have this in good shape. … We’re going to do this very quickly, but we’re going to want extensions,” Trump said.
“I don’t want to call a national emergency. If I have to, I will. But I think the Republicans in Congress will approve this pretty much unanimously.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) has hit back at Trump’s move, calling it an “authoritarian push” by the administration. The Democratic Mayors Association called it a “political charade” that doesn’t match up with the actual crime statistics in the District.
